December 11
by XxXxDarkVampirexXxX
Summary: The eleventh of December was just any other day. That is, until a dark entity decided to make its presence known. It haunted an innocent girl for two weeks, before suddenly vanishing...only to return a year later on the infamous day of December eleventh. SPR decides to help the girl, but how can they do so without knowing what's going on? But this ghost plays by its own rules.
1. December 17

**Yo, random idea, another fic. That's just how I roll. Anyway, if you've already read this and didn't like it, I've made some changes. If you've already read this and did like it, hopefully you'll still like it.**

**Character ages are the same as they should be, however, this fic is taking place in 2012. Apologies to anyone who doesn't like that. Though...I don't see how it would matter in the first place. **

**Lemon between NxM won't start until later, but I assure you, it will happen.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

Mai was seated at her desk in the lounge of her office, SPR; Shibuya Psychic Research. She had her laptop open in front of her and was just finishing up some homework. The laptop, had been a gift from her friends from SPR. Naru, Lin, Madoka, Ayako, Bou-san, John and Yasuhara, had all pooled together and bought her this for her seventeenth birthday, which had been a few months ago, during summer. It was December now, a week or so before Christmas.

After finishing her school work, Mai decided to check her e-mail. She knew she had some filing to do, but...that could wait. It wouldn't kill Naru if she handed him the file a little late, right? To Mai's delight, she had some new emails. She loved getting emails from her friends, just as much as anyone else did, if not more.

The first one was from Bou-san. He actually had a concert coming up and she had written to him the day before, asking how he was and how the rehearsal was going. It had been a while since she had last seen him, since he and his band had been so busy with practice and all the preparations. This was his reply...

_Hey, Mai-chan!_

_Rehearsal's not doing so well, unfortunately. Takuya's got a cold and it doesn't help that he's the lead singer either. We're trying to practice the best we can, but it's hard for him to sing. Ah well, we've got some time left._

_Still enjoying that laptop? Naru-bou hasn't confiscated it yet?_

_I'll see you later, Mai. Try not to get sick!_

_Your favourite monk,_

_Takigawa_

Laughing, Mai replied to Bou-san, before moving on to the next email, from John this time. She hadn't seen him in a while either. She had been busy in school, and John had had things to do as well, which was why he hadn't come around the office for a while now. This is what he said...

_Mai-san,_

_How are you? We have not seen each other since our last case, have we?_

_I hope it isn't too much to ask, but will you be busy next week? The twenty-sixth? I was wondering whether you wanted to come see the children at the church. The one run by Father Toujo? They have been asking about you, and I think it will please them to see you._

_Please let me know what you think._

_John  
_  
Smiling at certain memories surrounding that church and the orphaned children that lived there, Mai sent the priest a response as well. She would love to pay the children a visit. Mai loved children, after all. Even the poor boy who had possessed her.

The last e-mail was from another friend. But not one she knew through SPR. She was a friend Mai had known for a very long time. One she'd been separated from for many years. A friend who had moved to a different country when they had been young. They had been quite close back then. They still were, actually. Since talking long distance cost too much, email addresses had been made for the both of them, that way, they could communicate easily. Now this friend had moved back to Japan, and the two girls had met in a heartfelt reunion. It had been one of the happiest moments of Mai's life. It had been amazing for them to see one another after all these years, to see how much they had changed and grown. But Mai had just spoken to her friend earlier that day. Why was she emailing her _now_?

Curious, Mai began to read, actually ignoring a call for tea from her boss.

_Mai,_

_I...I don't really know what to say..._

_Do you remember all that shit I experienced with that dark entity? All that stuff I told you about? It went away, right?_

_Well...it's back. And it's gotten stronger too. It's fucking with me, Mai. It's playing mind games with me._

_I've researched, but I can't find anything even remotely similar. I don't know what to do anymore. These mind games make it impossible to know what it's going to do next. I'm...I'm worried it might hurt me or do something really bad._

_So, I want you to show this email to Shibuya-san. I'm making a request and I want him to know that this is serious._

_Please, Mai...I need help._

_Saya_

Mai finished reading and sat there, staring at the screen in surprise. She couldn't believe it. The spirit was back...? How was that possible? It must be pretty bad if Saya had sent an email like this. She was one of those people who _hated_ asking for help. Not because she thought she could do everything herself, but because she hated appearing weak. But this...

"Mai, tea!" Naru sounded rather angry now, but Mai hardly noticed.

The girl glanced at her boss' office door. She definitely had to show him this. And if she had to _beg _him to accept Saya's case, then so be it.

Heading into the kitchen area, Mai made tea for Naru and herself, as Lin had clocked out early because of some personal reason. As she stood there, waiting for the water to boil, she thought. Though she had never seen the spirit Saya had told her about, she just _knew_ it was the same one that was bothering her now.

Once she was ready, she headed to her boss' office. She knocked and at his response, entered. After placing the tea on the young man's desk, Mai spoke.

"Naru?"

Naru gave a deep sigh. "_What_, Mai?"

"I have a case request for you, replied the girl, "from a friend of mine."

"And why is this friend not here to tell me this herself?" questioned Naru, not bothering to look up. He wasn't in the mood for any of Mai's antics. Not today.

Mai gave a shrug. "I dunno. But I think you'll be interested in the case."

"And why do you assume that?"

"Because whatever this thing is, it's haunted her before. And now it's back."

The black haired teen finally looked up at his assistant. "Back?"

Mai nodded. "I know what happened last time, cause she told me, but I had no idea it was back. I only just read her email. In it, she says she's requesting a case. It's...it's pretty serious, Naru. I can't know for sure, but the fact that she's asking for help..." she trailed off.

"Would it be possible for me to see this email?" requested Naru after a pause.

"Wha- oh, yeah, of course! She said to show it to you, actually." And Mai left the room, returning seconds later with her laptop. She placed it on the large wooden desk. "It doesn't really _say _what's been going on or anything," said Mai. "She's just asking for help."

Naru read through the e-mail, noting how it was short and to the point. As Mai had already said, there were no claims, simply a plead for help.

"There's one other thing, Naru," said Mai suddenly.

"And that would be?"

"When Saya first started experiencing this stuff, she lived in a different country."

Naru looked up, his interest finally piked. "Is that so...?" This sounded quite unusual to him. Why would the entity have the need to return? Not to mention follow the girl to a different country? Though he wasn't getting the usual amount of information he liked to get, he couldn't help but admit that this was intriguing. "Alright, Mai," he said finally. "Tell your friend that I accept their case. Arrange a time for us to arrive. Anytime is fine with me."

Mai stared at him for a second, shocked. Then we went around his desk and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him. "Thank you, Naru! She'll be really happy!" She let go, picked up her laptop and left his office, leaving the young man feeling rather dazed and confused.

Sitting back down at her desk, Mai sent Saya a response, telling her that Naru had accepted her case and was wondering when they could start their investigation. Once this was done, she sat back and thought. Saya had told her about everything that had happened the previous time, and even though it hadn't really _done_ much, the terror that had come with it had been terrible. She had been able to sense Saya's fear through her _emails_! That's not something you can tell very often.

Why had the spirit come back? How bad was the activity now? They'd be able to help Saya, right...?

About an hour later, Naru called for more tea. Mai made the drink and headed into his office to place it on his desk, in front of him. Straightening up, she said, "Naru, Saya says we can come tomorrow afternoon, after school. Is that alright?"

"It's fine, Mai. You shouldn't miss class unless you have to. We wouldn't want you losing any more brain cells now, would we?"

Mai's jaw dropped. "Hey!" She made an angry movement towards him, but stopped abruptly. There was no point in this. This was just how Naru was. Why should she bother to give him satisfaction? "Sorry, but I have work to do," she said stiffly. And she walked out, back to her desk. _Why did Naru always have to act like this? Why did he always have to bring her down? It wasn't fair. Why did she still like him, even despite all that? Her own feelings didn't make sense. _

Returning to the lounge, Mai leaned back against her desk, thinking back to what Saya had previously told her. If that same thing was really back... If it was really stronger than before... Mai shivered involuntarily. She was getting a very bad feeling about this.

**And that's the first bit. As you can see, it's pretty much an introductory chapter. There will obviously be NxM, and there'll also be two of my own characters. SxS. You'll find out who the guy with Saya is, later on. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	2. December 17-2

**Yo, okay, new second chapter. It's kinda short though, so sorry about that. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

That evening, Mai stood under the shower, thinking, shivering. Ever since she had gotten that, that feeling earlier in the office, she couldn't stop shivering. Though she knew nothing was targeting her, she could still feel it. Well, she did have ESP and the such. Perhaps that was...helping her somehow, connect with Saya's feelings? Was that even possible? Probably not.

_"Mai."_

_Mai stirred and after a moment, opened her eyes, finding herself in the Astral Plane, the very place she had been hoping she'd arrive in. "Gene? Hi!" She hugged him once he had helped her to her feet._

_"How are you feeling, Mai?" asked Gene._

_The girl gave him an odd look. "It sounds as if you already know."_

_"I do," said Gene with a nod. "But I still want you to tell me. In your own words."_

_Mai hesitated. "I'm scared," she finally admitted. "But I don't know why."_

_Eugene took hold of her hand and helped her sit down, taking a seat next to her. He had noticed that she seemed to be trembling slightly, and thought that it would be better if she wasn't standing. "What are you thinking?"_

_"I want to help Saya," said Mai. "I really do. She's my friend. She's been my friend for a really long time and I hate it that she's scared. It...it took her a long time to tell me what was happening to her last time."_

_"It was only after you'd told her about SPR, that she told you, correct?"_

_Mai nodded. "Un, and honestly, I believed her right away. Even though she didn't say it at first, she was really scared. And..."_

_"And you were scared for her." _

_Mai smiled. Gene always knew what she was thinking. "Yeah. So when she started telling me what the spirit was doing, it was scary. I was just waiting for the day something terrible happened."_

_"But nothing that bad ever happened."_

_"No. And when she told me it was gone, I was so relieved. I was so happy that nothing had happened."_

_"And now that its back, you're scared all over again." Gene nodded knowingly. He looked at her. "Do you feel that something terrible will happen this time around?"_

_Mai hesitated again. "I...I don't know. I'm hoping nothing will happen, but I just..." She paused. "Will we be able to help her?"_

_"I'm sorry Mai, I can't tell that much yet. But I do want to give you a warning."_

_"A warning?"_

_"This entity, whoever it is, it's bad. Not quite demonic bad, but-" He stopped, suddenly._

_"Gene? Gene, what's wrong?"_

_"...I don't know what it is," he said slowly. "I can usually tell that much, but this time...this time, I'm not sure." He looked up, up at the blackness of the non-existent sky. "You need to go now, Mai. It's getting late and you need sleep."_

_"But-!"_

_"No, listen to me." He looked rather serious now. "Mai, whatever this is, it likes seeing fear, likes seeing pain. Whether it has a reason to be after your friend, I don't know. Whether this is an evil human spirit, or a demonic entity, I don't know, but this thing is dark, evil. Tell Noll to be cautious."_

_Mai felt herself begin to fade. "Gene, I don't understand..."_

_"The spirit will not attack any of you. Not in the beginning. But you must be careful. And keep an eye of your friend. She's the one who's in danger..."_

_And with that, Mai disappeared, Gene's words, ringing in her ears._

When Mai awoke the next morning, the first thing she did was call Naru. She didn't care how early it was, didn't care that he may be asleep, considering the office didn't open until nine."

_"...Mmhmm?"_

Mai had to stifle her giggle. It sounded as if Naru had his face squashed into his pillow. "Naru? It's Mai."

Naru groaned. After that dream he'd just had, hearing Mai's voice wasn't exactly a good thing. _"What do you want, Mai? Don't you have a class to go to?"_

"Hmph! I'm getting ready for that, Naru. There was just something I needed to tell you first."

_"And it can't wait?"_

"No, it can't." And she repeated everything Gene had said to her. As she spoke, she realized that she now had Naru's full attention. She could almost see him sitting up in his big bed with the black sheets and pillows, without a shirt and his slim fingers resting on his chin in his usual pondering stance. And then she blushed. What the hell had she just thought of!?

_"Gene sounded serious?"_

"Yeah, very serious."

_"I see... Thank you, Mai. Now go to school."_ And with that, he hung up.

The girl stared at her phone, surprised at the sudden way her boss had hung up on her. She huffed in annoyance. Why did she like him? Gods, why did she like him?

**Okay, that's the end of this chapter, currently working on the next. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	3. December 18

**Yo, kay, so this used to be chapter two, and now it's three. I added a chapter in between, but I recommend reading it from the beginning, as I've made some changes. Sorry bout that, and thanks to all who've read so far.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

That afternoon, SPR's van stopped in front of a large house. Bou-san's car was there too, meaning he, Ayako, John, and Yasuhara were already waiting. As soon as the van had stopped, Mai hopped out and ran right into the arms of the monk.

"Bou-san!" she cried happily, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, thrilled to see him.

"Hey, Mai! Long time no see!" greeted Bou-san, enveloping the girl in his usual bear hug. "Okay, ow, my back..." He gently set Mai down on her feet.

"Are you implying that I'm fat?" questioned the girl. But she laughed before the man had answered. She already knew he was joking. Mai then took turns greeting the others with hugs too, so very glad to see them all again. It had been far too long.

"Lin, with me. The others, unpack," commanded Naru. He and the Chinese man began to walk up towards the house, and were nearly at the front door, when Mai came up behind them. "Mai, I told you to help the others," he said.

Mai scoffed. "And how exactly do you plan on getting inside without this?" She held up a key.

"And why do _you_ have the key to Saya-san's house?" questioned the young man.

"Well, _someone_ has to let us in," replied the girl almost cheekily. She loved teasing Naru just as much as he loved teasing her.

"And _where_ is our client?"

"Probably at the airport," said Mai, unlocking the door. "I'll explain once we're all inside. I'd rather not repeat myself."

The team brought all the equipment in, and placed everything in the large room Mai had indicated. There was already a big table and a couple of couches and armchairs placed, no doubt, for them.

Once that was done, they all sat down in the living room. Mai headed into what was obviously Saya's bedroom, and sitting on the bed, exactly where the girl had said it would be, was a notebook. Picking this up, Mai returned to the others. She made them all tea and was just serving Naru, when the priest spoke.

"Mai-san, does someone in Saya-san's family know French?"

The girl looked over at him. "What makes you say that?" she asked.

John pointed at the bookshelf. "There are books in English and in Japanese, but there are also ones in French."

Mai suddenly looked confused. "Didn't I tell you?"

"Tell us what?"

"Saya's half French."

"She is?" wondered Ayako.

"Yeah," Mai nodded, finishing handing everyone their tea and sitting down opposite Naru, next to Bou-san. "Her mom's Japanese, but her dad's French."

"And her name is Saya?"

"Saya Beaumont. She actually kinda gets made fun of, because of that," said Mai with a small frown. "People find it odd, so they sometimes say some rude things."

"That's an interesting combination," said Bou-san. He sighed. "People can be very stupid, Mai. You should tell your friend that."

"Mai, where is Saya-san?" questioned Naru. "She was supposed to be here."

"Yeah, about that..." began Mai. "See, she found out this morning that her parents have to go overseas for work, and won't be back for a month or so. She's going to be all alone here, and they won't be able to celebrate Christmas or New Year's either, which is something that's important to them. So, they had her come see them off, which is why she's most likely at the airport at the moment."

"Then why not change the plan?" asked Naru, confused. "We could easily have shown up tomorrow." After all, they didn't have any other cases at the moment.

"She said it was alright," said Mai. "She told me everything that happened to her last time, and she wants me to tell all of you."

"And what about what's happening right now?"

"She's written it down," explained Mai, holding up the notebook she had gotten from Saya's room. "She wants me to give it to you once I've finished explaining. But you have to read what's in it out loud. That's what she said. Saya wants all of us to know what's happening, not just you."

Naru sighed inwardly. "Fine, fine. Explain then."

"...Should I start from the very beginning?" Naru gave her a look that clearly said that she should. "Right. Okay. Well, it started when she moved to Canada. That was when we were about eight or so. Saya knew right away that there was something in her home. Something that wasn't human. She knew there was a spirit there."

"...Does she have any type of psychic abilities? ESP or the like?"

Mai shook her head. "I don't think so. She just...knew. Anyway, she started calling this spirit Peeves."

"She's a Harry Potter fan, isn't she?" asked John, who had seen the series in both English and French on the bookcase.

Mai laughed. "A huge one, actually. In Harry Potter, there's a poltergeist named Peeves. That's why she started calling it that," she explained to those who didn't know. Getting serious once more, Mai went on. "She never actually saw anything though. Never actually saw Peeves. But they'd all hear things. They would hear the keys jingle, or the cups chink in the kitchen, or something fall in the bathroom, or the bed springs creaking. That's pretty much what went on for a few years. Just Peeves."

"And then things changed?" said Bou-san from next to her.

Mai nodded. "In May of 2010, Saya and a friend were heading to the friend's house after school. When they passed by Saya's home, she happened to glance over at it. She said she saw a...figure, standing in one of the upstairs windows. She looked down, then back up, and it was gone."

"And no one was home?" asked Ayako.

"No. At that time, Saya would be the last one to leave in the morning, and be the first one to come home, even if she did hang out with a friend," replied Mai. "But she said she asked her parents anyway. Just in case. They had both been at work, and there was no sign of a break in or anything either." She paused and took a sip of tea. "August of 2010," Mai went on, "was when Saya saw an apparition up close, in the same room as her."

"What happened?" asked Yasuhara, who had been surprisingly silent up until now.

"Saya was alone at home. It was summer vacation and all, and her parents were both at work. She was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching tv, and she was reading something on her cellphone...or was it her PSP? I think she said it was around ten in the morning. Anyway, all of a sudden, there was this bright, orange flash in front of her face."

"An orange flash?" repeated John.

Mai gave another nod. "She said it startled her, as it probably would anyone. She looked around, tried to recreate it and everything, but it never happened again. About a minute after she'd refocused on her PSP's screen, she noticed something. Standing there at the other end of the couch, they had an L-shaped sofa, was yet another figure. She said it was only there for a second. It was gone when she blinked."

"And what did this 'figure' look like?" asked Naru.

"Apparently, all she could tell was that it was tall and dark. She said it pretty much looked like a shadow," said Mai. "She said it looked solid."

"I see..."

"For a while, nothing else happened," Mai continued. "Peeves did as he always did, but she never saw anything again." She took another long sip of her lukewarm drink. "December 11, 2011, 4:38am: Saya, who had only been asleep for an hour or so, was awoken to the sudden feeling of fear. There was something in the room with her and whatever this was, it wasn't good."

Naru raised a brow, intrigued. It almost sounded as if Mai was telling a story, but he knew better. "Did Saya-san see anything?"

"No, just felt its presence. She said it was just giving off...darkness. And she was scared. Saya...Saya doesn't get scared. Not by stuff like that. She's always believed in the paranormal, ever since we were little, and it never scared her. Peeves had never scared her. Seeing those apparitions hadn't scared her. But this thing was giving of such an evil feeling..."

"That she couldn't help but be afraid," said John, understanding what Saya must have been feeling at the time.

Mai nodded, drank a bit more tea, then continued. "For that week, that's all it did. Saya never saw anything, never heard anything. But she could feel it. Feel it in the room with her. Feel it watching her. And it wasn't only at night, either."

Slightly surprised, Naru spoke. "The entity was active during the daytime as well?" Most negative spirits stuck to haunting at night.

"Yeah. Saya would just be there in her room, doing whatever it was that she was doing, and all of a sudden, she'd just get that feeling. That it was there."

"Is that all it did?"

"For that first week, yeah," replied Mai. "The second week was when it started showing itself. This, it only did at night. According to Saya, it would just stand there beside her bed, staring down at her. And after a couple of days, it moved to stand at the end of the bed."

"Was she able to make out any details on this one?" asked Naru.

Mai thought for a moment. "It's pretty much the same as the last time. Tall and dark, like a shadow. But she says it had to have been over six feet in height. Somewhere between your height, Bou-san, and yours, Lin-san."

Naru frowned slightly. "And how was she able to tell how tall it might have been if it was simply standing at the foot of, or beside her bed?"

"She had a loft bed," replied Mai.

"Ah, I see."

The girl got to her feet and collected their cups before heading into the kitchen to make more tea. But she raised her voice slightly, so that she could continue speaking.

"On the last day...that's when it did its worst."

"Did it hurt her?" questioned Ayako, alarmed.

"No, no, it didn't touch her or anything, it just..." The kettle went off and Mai had to pause in her story to finish making the tea. Once she was seated once more, she went on. "It was the middle of the night, and Saya was trying to sleep. She suddenly saw this...mist, go past her window."

"Mist?"

"Black mist."

There were multiple mutters. Black mists were not a good thing, normally.

"The mist went towards the foot of the bed, and materialized as a figure once more," said Mai. "Saya said that for some reason, the spirit seemed to be...darker, eviler? She closed her eyes and tried to ignore it. She didn't want to see it. She said that it felt as if...if she saw it, she'd see something she _really_ didn't want to see. And then it was right there, right up close. She could feel it above her. She said she ended up opening her eyes, and it was literally a couple of inches away from her face."

There were a few looks of alarm. No wonder the girl had been scared.

"And then it was gone," said Mai.

"Gone?" repeated Lin, who had been typing all this up.

"Un. It just...left. But Saya didn't actually notice it then."

Bou-san frowned. "How do you not notice that something like that's gone?" he wondered.

Mai shrugged. "The Christmas holidays started and she was distracted with that. Oh, they get two weeks off, for Christmas, there," she added in explanation. "Anyway, Saya said that a week after school had restarted, she suddenly noticed that nothing had happened during the break. And that's pretty much what happened last year."

"And you're saying that this entity from last year, is back?" asked Naru. "How do you know it's the same one?"

Mai gave him a rather grim smile. "We know because of when it decided to come back."

"Meaning?"

"Even though I don't actually know what's been going on this time around, Saya did tell me what day it came back."

"And what day was that?"

"December 11, 2012, 4:38am."

**Okay, so this was pretty much the same as it was before, I didn't really see the need to change too much here. Currently working on the next chapter, so that should be up soon. Hopefully, you read the AN at the beginning, and realized that there's another chapter before this. If you didn't read it, you're gonna have a bad time later on. Probably. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	4. December 18-2

**Yo, kay, here's the next bit. Sorry about the delay, I didn't have access to a computer, so I couldn't get this up. This chapter's mainly all talking, so prepare yourself…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

…"What?" Naru's fingers automatically came up to his chin in thought. "So it returned _exactly _one year later at _exactly _the same time…"

Mai then leaned over the table and handed Naru the notebook she was holding. "Everything that's happened this past week, since the eleventh, in written in this."

Naru gave a nod and flipped the notebook open. He skimmed through it for a moment. "Good, she's written both the date and the time during which she experienced everything. Lin, I want our own copy, so note down what I say."

"Of course, Noll."

Naru was about to begin reading, when Mai suddenly jumped up. "Sorry! I forgot to do something! Just give me a minute!" And she ran down the hallway, out of sight.

"What was that about?" wondered Yasuhara.

The others shrugged, unsure. At that moment, they heard the sound of keys jingling, coming from outside. The sound of the lock clicking followed. They all looked over, expecting to see Saya, but to their surprise, a man appeared in the entrance to the living room instead.

He was tall, probably around six three, and his intense green eyes looked at them from under near shoulder length straight black hair. "Oh, you're already here," he said in a deep, yet smooth voice.

Naru stood up. "And who are you?" he questioned. As far as he knew, Saya was an only child, and she had gone to the airport to see her parents off. No one else should be living in the house.

"Ah, I beg your pardon," said the man apologetically. "I'm Shinjiro. Shinjiro Narukami. I'm a-"

"Sensei?"

The team looked over at Mai, who had just reentered the living room. Wait, did she just call him 'sensei'?

Shinjiro smiled at Mai. "I was wondering where you were, Mai-san."

"Oh, I just had to do something," replied Mai. She approached the tall man. "I didn't know you'd be coming here today."

"I wanted to check on Saya," Shinjiro admitted. "I heard you talking to Keiko-san and Michiru-san in class earlier, telling them about Saya's parents going away, and how she'd be alone. I just thought I'd come see how she was doing, if she needed anything."

Mai failed to hold back an amused laugh. "You mean you were too worried about her to wait." Shinjiro chuckled and Mai turned to look at the confused team. "Sorry guys," she said. "This is Narukami-sensei, my math teacher." And she then introduced the team members to her teacher.

Mai-_san_, Keiko-_san_, Michiru-_san_, _Saya_…?

"Saya!"

Everyone looked round once more. Standing at the room's entrance off the front hallway, was a girl. A pale, rather fragile looking girl, with wavy black hair which went down to her thighs, and was highlighted with a purple that brought out her stunning violet eyes. She looked at them all, one by one, and then smiled gently.

"Bonjour." (Hello) She stepped into the room and dropped her bag on the table in the attached dining room. "It's nice to finally meet you all."

"This is Saya Beaumont everyone," said Mai smiling, glad to see her friend. And even though she knew she didn't have to, she introduced each member to Saya. She had a feeling her friend already knew who each person was, even though they had never met before.

After greeting everyone, Saya approached Shinjiro, and looked up at him. "I didn't expect to see you here, Shinji. Mais je suis heureuse." (But I'm glad)

_Shinji…?_

Shinjiro gave her a soft smile and gently ran his fingers through her hair once. The others immediately realized that these two were a couple. Surprised, they looked at Mai, who didn't seem to be fazed in the slightest. But this was wrong though, wasn't it? Saya was only seventeen, and Shinjiro looked to be twenty three at the least. And he was her _teacher_!

"Mai," said Ayako slowly.

Glancing over, Mai realized that everyone, other than the couple, was staring at her. "What?" But after a second, she knew what. "Oh." She sighed, realizing that she should have seen this coming. "Right, relax guys. It's mutual, they haven't had sex, and there's no coercion or anything going on."

Naru sighed inwardly as he watched Shinjiro and Saya. _How he wished _he_ could show affection like that to the one he loved. Wait, what? Naru? In love? He was _not_ in love! …Was he? _He chanced a glance at Mai, who seemed perfectly at ease, a bright smile on her face. "Alright," he said, trying to distract himself from the rather naughty thoughts he was now having. "shall we get back to business? We have work to do, after all."

It took them all a moment to settle themselves down again. With two more people, seating arrangements were rather difficult. In the end, Saya and Mai squished together in an armchair, while Shinjiro took Mai's old place next to Bou-san.

"Bien, how much did Mai tell you?" asked Saya. (Good)

"She's finished telling us what happened last year," said Bou-san.

Saya gave a nod. "I see."

"I just have a few questions, before we proceed," said Naru.

"Oui?" said Saya politely, turning her attention to him. (Yes?)

"You lived in Canada when this occurred, correct? When did you return to Japan?"

"I came back in August," replied Saya.

"May I ask why?" He wanted to know whether it was possible if her return to the country could have caused the activity the entity was creating.

A look of pain crossed the girl's face and her hand came up to grip the silver dragon pendant around her neck. "I just…had to get away," she said softly.

"Saya…" Mai moved awkwardly, attempting to comfort her friend. She clearly knew what had happened. And a glance at Shinjiro showed that he did too.

Realizing it wasn't his place to ask, Naru went on. "Did you experience any activity in this house prior to the eleventh of December?"

Saya shook her head, evidently relieved that he hadn't decided to question her on her previous statement. "Nothing at all. That's…that's why it was so surprising when it came back."

"Has it been doing the same thing as it did last year?"

"No, it's stronger than before. It's gotten…physical now."

"What!?" Shinjiro looked very surprised. Clearly Saya hadn't told him the entire story of what was currently happening to her.

Saya winced, realizing how that had sounded. "It's not like that," she said. "It's not…molesting me or anything. But it's…talking now too."

Naru frowned. "It's been speaking to you?"

"Un, but it's in my head," said Saya. "Je veux dire, I don't hear it with my ears. (I mean) The words sort of…pop into my head. Yet they're not words I would think at the time. I… Do you have that notebook?"

"Ah, that's right." Naru handed it to her, glad he no longer had to read to everyone.

They all watched as Saya closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself. When she opened them again, she began to speak. "I was very glad when the entity went away last year," she began. "That entire experience was terrifying and taxing and I never _ever_ wanted to go through it again."

"Understandable."

"Yet at the same time, I didn't, couldn't forget what I had gone through. It's pretty much been plaguing my mind for the past year." She paused. "While I was still in Toronto, at school, I had a couple of friends who believed in the paranormal. I told them what had happened to me, hoping that they may be able to help a little or something, you know, give me some information."

"And how did that turn out?" asked Ayako in wonder.

Saya gave a small smile. "Not too well, actually. See, they knew about the paranormal, but they had no actual knowledge on the topic. I was always left trying to explain things to them, which didn't really help much at all."

This statement earned a few laughs.

Saya went on. "Once I realized they were going to be no help, I tried to research it, but that didn't turn anything up either. So, I was pretty much left to just…think about it. Even then, I didn't expect it to come back."

"What about the day before?" asked Yasuhara. "You didn't consider the possibility?"

"I did, actually," replied Saya, looking at him. "I sat there for a couple of hours at least, thinking about what had happened last year, and what the chances were of it coming back. I thought it wouldn't, hoped it wouldn't…unfortunately, I was clearly proven wrong."

"So, what's happened so far?" asked Mai.

"Well, I was asleep on my front, when I suddenly woke up in pain," began the violet eyes girl. "There were…hands clutching my sides, and what felt like a chin pressed into my back. Mid-back, I think. There was a weight from my back down, a warm weight…"

"Where the 'body' would be," said Naru with a subconscious nod.

"Oui, that' what I thought as well." (Yes) She continued. "The hands and the chin then started pressing in hard, painfully hard. I was surprised it didn't bruise after."

"How long did this last?"

Saya shrugged. "Une minute, peut-être?" (A minute, maybe?)

Naru nodded, glad he had some French in him. "Go on."

"The tightening happened four times at least, the last time was the hardest, and it stayed like that for a few seconds, before it stopped. And I…" she sighed. "I was scared." Saya hated that she had to admit that, that she had to admit fear... even though it was true. "And because I was so scared, I didn't realize that he had spoken to me."

"It spoke?"

"…He?"

"Oh, did I not say?" Saya looked slightly surprised. "This entity is male. I don't know who it is or anything, but it's definitely a man. It just…feels like one."

"When did you realize the entity had spoken?" questioned Naru.

Here, the girl smiled. "I realized it ten minutes later, when I was sitting in this brightly lit living room. Once I had had a chance to calm down and actually think straight."

"And what was it that he said?" asked Lin.

" 'I'm back. Did you miss me? I missed you?' "

Mai sucked in a sharp breath and multiple pairs of eyes widened, surprised.

"That pretty much proves it's the same thing from last year."

Saya nodded, and ignoring the look of shock on Shinjiro's face, continued. "It was exactly twelve hours later when I felt it again. I had come home early from school, and had been trying to sleep. And then it was just…there. It was as if…as if he was waiting for me to fall asleep."

Lin paused in his typing. "Was the entity still giving off that same darkness from the year before?"

"Oui, mais…it was worse than last year." (Yes, but)

"How so?"

Saya shrugged. "Je ne sais pas. (I don't know) I can only explain it by saying that it felt more…more intense than last year. His presence was more intense. I'm sorry."

"No, that's fine," said Naru. "Please continue."

Saya complied, skimming through her notes to see what had happened next. There had been so many occurrences, that it was difficult to remember them all. "At 10:23 that night, I woke up feeling fingers on my face. The motions were almost…gentle, but with that darkness…"

"It was caressing your face?" questioned Ayako, who had caught on fastest.

Saya nodded, deliberately not looking at Shinjiro. "A couple of hours later, at 12:02, meaning the twelfth now, the same incident from the night before happened."

"The hands and chin?"

"Hai. Except the tightening happened twice, instead of four times, and it didn't hurt as much."

"Did it say anything that time?" asked Yasuhara.

"Not just then. But a few minutes later, 12:12, I felt fingers sort of…tuck my hair back behind my ear. " She demonstrated absently, not realizing that she'd done it. "He spoke then, said, 'Good girl, you didn't run this time.' "

"A clear reference to the night before," said Naru.

"Uh huh. I left then, of course. There was no way I was going to stay in there after that." She smiled slightly. "Using my tiredness as an excuse, I decided to skip class, and went back to bed instead."

"Saya."

Both Mai and Shinjiro said her name with a sigh, and the violet eyes girl flashed an amused smile.

"Well anyway," she continued. "It was exactly seven in the morning, when the hands and chin thing happened again." She frowned slightly. "Mais c'était different cette fois-ci." (But it was different this time)

"How was it different?" asked Naru, not paying attention to the surprised looks he was getting from the team. Lin was the only one who had been aware of the fact that Naru knew French.

Saya, who didn't really seem to find it odd, continued. "The chin started moving, moving upwards, closer to my head. I could feel the 'body' shifting and the blanket was moving at my legs. The hands were still clutching my sides and there was this…this cold breeze on my cheek."

"Did you have a window open?"

"Non, there was no way there could have been any sort of natural breeze." (No)

"You tried to ignore it," stated John, who received a nod in response.

"I turned my head," said Saya, "but then the cold breeze started on that side too. And then he said, 'Don't turn away from me'. This entire experience lasted at least…three minutes?"

"Did the entity sound angry when he told you not to turn away?" asked Naru.

"Non, pas vraiment, mais plus tard…" (No, not really, but later)

"He was angry later?"

"Well, more like two days later, but there's more before that."

"Continue then."

"10:35 on the night of the thirteenth, I was trying to sleep, when I felt this finger on my cheek. It just started moving towards the back of my neck, the pressure increasing as it did so." Again, she demonstrated almost absent mindedly, placing the tip of her index finger on her right cheek, and trailing it downwards to the back of her neck.

"All right, what next?"

Saya checked her notes, then spoke. "Well, as all this tented to happen at night while I was trying to sleep, it became difficult to remember details once I'd actually woken up. Because of this, I started writing everything down not only in this notebook, but on my cellphone as well."

"Ah," said Bou-san with an understanding nod. "Because if you were trying to sleep, it needed to be dark, and if you were scared, you wouldn't want to get up to turn on the lights. Whereas if you had your cell right next to your bed, you could not only use this as a source of light, but jot down what you'd just experienced at the same time."

Saya smiled. "Oui, exactement. (Yes, exactly) That's exactly what I've been doing. I had just noted down what had just happened, and had put the phone away. 10:39, mere minutes after the last experience, I had another. The 'chin' was back, but the 'hands' were no longer at my sides." She paused. "There was a hand on the back of my right thigh instead."

"And it had never touched you there before?"

"Non, jamais. (No, never) That hand just stayed there like that for a moment, then it slowly began to move higher. And then I felt this…this warm breath on my cheek."

"Wasn't it cold last time?"

"It was, yes. I started noting this down, when he spoke again. 'What're you writing?' This is when I began wondering whether it _knew_ what I was writing."

Naru frowned. "If it's an intelligent spirit, which I feel it is, then yes, I'm quite sure it knows. Go on."

"11:10, still the same night, I felt the hands on my lower thighs this time. The one on the right moved up to my side. I turned over, it continued. And then it started breathing on my face again."

"You left the room."

"Oui. (Yes) Same night, but after midnight now, making it the fourteenth now. 12:02am, there were hands on my body almost immediately after the lights were turned off."

"It's never acted that quickly before?"

Saya shook her head. "It normally started five, maybe ten minutes after I'd settled. He was clutching my thighs again, and it actually hurt. I turned to my side, he didn't go away. And then there was the warm breathing on my face again." She paused, hesitated. "It spoke again, and sounded angry this time."

"What did he say?" questioned Shinjiro.

Still not looking at him, Saya answered. " 'Don't you _ever_ run from me!' "

"Saya…"

"6:58 that evening, he…he grabbed me by the throat."

"…What!?"

"He choked you?"

Saya frowned slightly. "He wasn't _really_ choking me, but…it was almost like he was threatening me."

"He _was _very angry the last time…"

The girl sighed. "I thought something bad was going to happen the next night…"

"What happened?"

"Rien." (Nothing)

"Nothing," repeated Naru, surprised.

"11:54, night before last, the hands started off at my legs and moved up to my stomach, the pressure increasing and decreasing as it did so. I think it went on for about two minutes," she added to answer Naru's unspoken question.

"What about last night?" asked Mai. "Earlier you said that something happened."

Brow furrowed slightly, Saya spoke. "He scratched me."

"What?" This was too much for Shinjiro. He got up and approached the girl now. "Where?"

Saya got to her feet and slowly pulled her shirt up. Running across her navel, was a long, shallow cut.

"What time did that happen?" asked Naru, as Shinjiro gently trailed a finger across the wound.

"About 3:30, I think," replied Saya, suppressing the urge to shiver. She lowered her shirt and looked up at Shinjiro, seeing the worry in his green eyes. "Everything will be alright, Shinji," she said. "They're good at their job. They'll get rid of it."

"Saya…"

"Trust me."

Shinjiro sighed deeply, then after a moment, returned to his seat. Everyone focused on Naru now, wondering whether he had a plan. But he didn't. Not yet.

This entity, whoever it was, was just getting started, and Naru knew he wouldn't be able to finalize a plan until he found out what exactly it was that this spirit wanted. So far, however, it didn't seem to have a pattern at all. It seemed as if it was just…doing whatever it pleased. It didn't make sense.

**That's it for now. Sorry about all the talking, but I wanted to get all that out of the way, and figured I may as well put it all in one chapter. Don't expect all chapters to be this long, cause I highly doubt it'll ever happen again. Currently working on the next chapter, dunno when it'll be up. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	5. December 18-3

**Yo, sorry about the wait. I've been sick and I had a lot of homework and all this other RL shit going on.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters. I do however, own Saya and Shinjiro, so no stealing.**

While Naru sat in silence thinking, everyone else began chatting.

"Hey, Saya-chan, won't it be hard for you to be alone for an entire month?" asked Bou-san.

Saya shrugged. "Pas vraiment. (Not really) I've been staying home alone since I was four, and even then, I hardly see my parents anyway, because they leave early and come back late…I'm used to it."

"Saya-san?"

"Oui?" (Yes?) The girl looked over at Naru, who had just spoken.

"I realize that the activity only seems to occur in your bedroom, but I'd like to place equipment all around the house, if possible. If something were to happen somewhere else, I want it caught and documented."

"We prefer to ask for permission before we place cameras and stuff all over the place," explained Mai.

"Ah, I see," Saya closed her eyes for a moment. "Alright… You can set your equipment wherever you see fit, so long as I know where everything is placed."

"…Very well." It was, after all, fair enough. Naru got to his feet, silently signaling that it was time to get to work.

They all followed Naru to the base, leaving Saya and Shinjiro alone in the living room.

In the base, Lin began setting up the monitors, while Naru began listing down exactly where he wanted all the cameras. Since the rest of them didn't have anything to do yet, they continued their previous conversation.

"Mai? How long have you and Saya been friends for?" asked Ayako curiously.

"Since we were five," replied Mai with a smile. "You know that park by the office? That's where we met. Wait, she was five, I was still four. My birthday was coming up in a week or something. Anyway, I was sitting there alone, crying… Otou-san had recently died, and I was really sad. We didn't really know each other, just by sight, since we were in the same class, but she came up to me there in the park and started comforting me." She smiled again. "She got me to cheer up…to laugh, and we started playing together."

"And you've been friends ever since. That's so sweet," cooed Ayako.

Mai laughed. "We were both really sad when she moved away when we were eight."

"I can imagine," said John. "If she had moved to a different part of Tokyo, or even somewhere else in Japan, you could still have visited each other, but as she moved to another country, it had to be difficult."

"It was actually really hard in the beginning," explained Mai. "We were so used to being together, that it was odd for us to be separated that way."

"It may have taken nine years, but at least you're together again," said Yasuhara.

Mai smiled sadly, surprising the others. "If only her return had been under better circumstances," she murmured, not realizing she'd said that out loud.

There was a long silence where no one spoke. Why did Mai look so sad? Why did speaking about Saya's return to Japan make her sad? Shouldn't it be something that made her happy? Why had Saya returned in the first place?

Surprisingly, it was Naru who finally broke the silence. "You'll need to pair up to set the equipment. It's a fairly large house and I want cameras covering every inch of this place. Matsuzaki-san and John, I want you to cover the second floor. Bou-san and Mai, this floor. Yasuhara-san, I'd like you to begin gathering information on both this house and the property around it…actually, add the Beaumont family to the list as well." He handed Mai and John a list each, then went over to Lin and began to ignore the rest of them.

Exchanging glances, the team shrugged and got to work. Mai, Bou-san, Ayako and John all gathered up some equipment, and they left the base, followed by Yasuhara, who left the house to head to the library to do some research. The priest and miko headed up the stairs, while the other two began with the hallway outside their HQ…

Left alone now, Shinjiro approached Saya, who was still seated, and knelt down in front of her. She wasn't looking at him, but at her lap, clearly avoiding his gaze. He cupped her chin and raised her head. "Saya, why didn't you tell me everything? Why didn't you tell me what it's been saying to you?"

The girl's eyes rose to his, and the man was surprised that she was letting him see just how tired she was. But she didn't answer his question. He knew it was probably because she didn't want to worry him, but it was her not telling him that worried him in the first place.

"…Do you have to go home tonight?" asked Saya suddenly.

Shinjiro shook his head, then cupped her cheek. "No. Don't worry, I'll stay with you if you need me to."

"Vous étes sûre?" (Are you sure?)

He leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Of course…"

Meanwhile, Bou-san and Mai were in the kitchen, setting up one of the cameras.

"So, jou-chan, how did Saya-chan and Shinjiro-san end up…together?" asked the monk, clearly curious.

"Honestly? I'm not sure," replied Mai. "They met back in February."

"Wasn't she still in Canada at that time?"

"She was, yes," Mai nodded. "He was the student-teacher in her math class for that semester."

"The _entire_ semester?"

"Yeah. He was actually done with school, and was trying to decide whether he wanted to teach in Canada or Japan. But while he was there, Sensei and Saya sort of…got together."

"So they began dating?" asked Bou-san, setting up one of the cameras.

Mai hesitated. "I can't really say that they were or are dating," she replied, adjusting the camera's angle. "I mean, it's not as if they go out to the movies holding hands or anything. But back then, there was…_something_ between them. So when Sensei decided he wanted to teach here, Saya was really sad.

"When did he leave?"

"First week of July. He became my math teacher a week later." Mai laughed suddenly. "It was pretty funny to see their faces on Saya's first day of school."

"What happened?" asked the man, as they entered the kitchen.

"We were in the middle of math class, when the principle walked in with Saya," she laughed again. "They seemed pretty surprised when they saw each other, but they did a really good job at hiding it. They obviously didn't want the rest of the class to know. I mean, it is technically against the law for a teacher to be in a relationship with one of their students."

"Right, of course."

They headed back to the base to grab more equipment.

"Did you know?"

"Umm, kind of. In her emails, she said that she was sorta…involved with someone she shouldn't be. Not because he was bad, but because he was older. She told me his name was Shinjiro, and that she called him Shinji, and that he was about six years older than us."

"When did you know for sure that it was Shinjiro-san?"

"After class that same day. Once everyone else had left. Saya, Sensei and I were the only ones left. Then there was the hug and the kiss that clearly said they'd met before."

Bou-san chuckled. "That had to have been a little awkward for you."

"A bit, yeah," Mai laughed.

Ignoring Naru's annoyed glare, the two of them left the base, arms laden with equipment, and continued with their set up. There was a silence as they worked, but it was soon broken.

The monk hesitated. "Mai…I know you said Shinjiro-san isn't forcing Saya-chan into anything, but…are you sure?" Though he didn't really know Saya, she and Mai were obviously very good friends, and he just wanted the best for her. It was understandable, really, but he was still glad when Mai didn't blow up at his question.

"I'm sure," Mai replied with a firm nod.

The two finally entered the living room, where Saya and Shinjiro were. The man was kneeling in front of the girl, who hadn't moved from the armchair she was seated in.

"Are we…interrupting something?" asked Mai.

Shinjiro straightened up. "No, it's fine." But when he made to move away, Saya grabbed his hand, refusing to let go, violet eyes downcast.

It was this that showed Mai just how afraid her friend was, and she gave Bou-san a look that said to leave them be and begin their set up in the room so that they could get out quicker and leave the couple alone.

The two were in the middle of this set up, when Mai suddenly froze. Slowly, she turned around to look behind her. Other than Saya and Shinjiro, who were exactly where they'd been a moment before, there was no one there. She frowned and looked around. For a moment, just a moment, she had sensed something…something dark…something bad.

Saya didn't seem to notice it, neither did the teacher, and a glance over her shoulder at Bou-san showed that he didn't either.

But what was this thing that she had sensed? Was it the same thing that was haunting her friend? Why was this thing after Saya in the first place?

**And that's it for now. I know it isn't very good yet, but I've got a lot of ideas for this, and I'm still trying to sort through them, deciding which ones are the best, and which ones I should actually use. Thankz for all readers so far. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


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